Nicholas Byfield
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Byfield was an English clergyman, a leading preacher of the reign of James I
.
, son by his first wife of Richard Byfield, who became vicar of Stratford-on-Avon in January 1597. The ejected minister Richard Byfield
was his half-brother.
Nicholas entered Exeter College, Oxford
, in the Lent term 1596, and was four years at university, but did not graduate. Taking orders, he intended to exercise his ministry in Ireland; but on his way there he preached at Chester
, and was prevailed upon to remain as one of the city preachers, without cure. He lectured at St. Peter's church, and was extremely popular. John Bruen
was one of his hearers, and a friend to him.
On 31 March 1615 Byfield was admitted to the vicarage of Isleworth
, in succession to Thomas Hawkes. At this point he was chaplain to Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford
. At Isleworth he preached twice every Sunday, and gave expository lectures every Wednesday and Friday. He kept up until five weeks before his death, from the stone
. He died on Sunday, 8 September 1622. The following day a surgeon removed from his body a stone which weighed 35 ounces; William Gouge
was present at the autopsy. By his wife, Elizabeth, Byfield had at least eight children, of whom the third was Adoniram Byfield
.
His first publication was An Essay concerning the Assurance of God's Love and of Man's Salvation, 1614. This was followed by An Exposition upon the Epistle to the Colossians . . . being the substance of neare seaven yeeres weeke-dayes sermons, 1615. The Marrow of the Oracles of God, 1620, (the last work published by Byfield himself), is a collection of six treatises.
In 1611 he got into a controversy on the sabbath question; a Chester boy, John Brerewood, was one of his catechists, and had been trained by Byfield in strict Sabbatarian habits. When John went to London to serve as an apprentice, he refused to do his master's errands on Sundays, such as fetching wine and feeding a horse, and obeyed only under compulsion. He wrote to Byfield with his case of conscience, and was told to disobey. His uncle, Edward Brerewood
, gave him contrary advice, taking the ground that the fourth commandment was laid only upon masters. Brerewood opened a correspondence with Byfield on the subject. The discussion was not published till both Brerewood and Byfield had been long dead. It appeared at Oxford as A Learned Treatise of the Sabaoth, . . . 1630; second edition, 1631. Byfield's part in it is curt and harsh; Brerewood charges his correspondent with 'ignorant phantasies'.
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
Life
He was a native of WarwickshireWarwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, son by his first wife of Richard Byfield, who became vicar of Stratford-on-Avon in January 1597. The ejected minister Richard Byfield
Richard Byfield
Richard Byfield was an English clergyman, Sabbatarian controversialist, member of the Westminster Assembly, and ejected minister.-Life:...
was his half-brother.
Nicholas entered Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
, in the Lent term 1596, and was four years at university, but did not graduate. Taking orders, he intended to exercise his ministry in Ireland; but on his way there he preached at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, and was prevailed upon to remain as one of the city preachers, without cure. He lectured at St. Peter's church, and was extremely popular. John Bruen
John Bruen
John Bruen , was a puritan layman.Bruen was the son of a Cheshire squire whose family had long been settled at Bruen Stapleford, and is believed to have given its name to the township. There had been a succession from the middle of the thirteenth century. The elder John Bruen of Bruen Stapleford...
was one of his hearers, and a friend to him.
On 31 March 1615 Byfield was admitted to the vicarage of Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
, in succession to Thomas Hawkes. At this point he was chaplain to Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford
Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford
Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford was the son of Sir Francis Russell, Lord Russell and the grandson of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford....
. At Isleworth he preached twice every Sunday, and gave expository lectures every Wednesday and Friday. He kept up until five weeks before his death, from the stone
Calculus (medicine)
A calculus is a stone that forms in an organ or duct of the body. Formation of calculi is known as lithiasis...
. He died on Sunday, 8 September 1622. The following day a surgeon removed from his body a stone which weighed 35 ounces; William Gouge
William Gouge
William Gouge was an English clergyman and author. He was a minister and preacher at St Ann Blackfriars for 45 years, from 1608, and a member of the Westminster Assembly from 1643.-Life:...
was present at the autopsy. By his wife, Elizabeth, Byfield had at least eight children, of whom the third was Adoniram Byfield
Adoniram Byfield
Adoniram Byfield or Bifield was an English clergyman, one of the scribes to the Westminster Assembly. The surviving minutes of the Assembly, which according to a project to have them published "arguably constitute the most important unpublished religious text of seventeenth-century Britain", run...
.
Works
Byfield's works were numerous, and most of them went through many editions, some as late as 1665. His expository works are Calvinistic.His first publication was An Essay concerning the Assurance of God's Love and of Man's Salvation, 1614. This was followed by An Exposition upon the Epistle to the Colossians . . . being the substance of neare seaven yeeres weeke-dayes sermons, 1615. The Marrow of the Oracles of God, 1620, (the last work published by Byfield himself), is a collection of six treatises.
In 1611 he got into a controversy on the sabbath question; a Chester boy, John Brerewood, was one of his catechists, and had been trained by Byfield in strict Sabbatarian habits. When John went to London to serve as an apprentice, he refused to do his master's errands on Sundays, such as fetching wine and feeding a horse, and obeyed only under compulsion. He wrote to Byfield with his case of conscience, and was told to disobey. His uncle, Edward Brerewood
Edward Brerewood
Edward Brerewood was an English scholar and antiquary. He was a mathematician and logician, and wrote an influential book on the origin of languages.-Life:...
, gave him contrary advice, taking the ground that the fourth commandment was laid only upon masters. Brerewood opened a correspondence with Byfield on the subject. The discussion was not published till both Brerewood and Byfield had been long dead. It appeared at Oxford as A Learned Treatise of the Sabaoth, . . . 1630; second edition, 1631. Byfield's part in it is curt and harsh; Brerewood charges his correspondent with 'ignorant phantasies'.